When I’m at “The Pit” Thursday night, I’ll probably feel as though I’m watching Pitt. Midwestern Conference rivals Aliquippa and Beaver Falls have both relied heavily upon underclassmen in the backfield to lead their respective teams back to the WPIAL Class AA playoffs.

The history of WPIAL football is rich with talent that was properly cultivated and flourished at the collegiate and professional levels. Unfortunately, like everywhere else on the national gridiron, it is equally rich with talent that was undisciplined, and therefore, wasted.

We’re going to keep our preseason coverage going with a series of rapid-fire previews, focusing now on the Midwestern Conference in Class AA. Last year the WPIAL champions in this classification came from the MAC, which isn’t anything new. It’s usually one of the toughest sections in the district. What is new is the fact that biennial WPIAL realignment has left it with eight teams.